Battery element.



N0. 858,877. PATENTED MAY 14, 1907.

0. E. HARVEY. BATTERY ELEMENT.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 11', 1905.

' INVENTOR WITNESSES OZinZJ/arvey r r r l I tion.

Umra earns OLIN HARVEY, OF WILKES-BARRE, BENNSYLVANIA.

are r rare.

BATTERY ELEMENT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 14:, 1907.

Application filed August 11, 1905. ScrialNu. 273,841.

To It whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, OLIN F, HARVEY, a

citizen of the United States, residing at Wilkes-Barre, county of Luzerne, and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Battery Element, of which the following is a spec1ficaconsists in the details of construction and combination of elements hereinafter set forth and then specifically designated by the claims.

In order that those skilled in the art to which this invention appertams may understand how to make and use the same, the

. construction and operation will now be described in detail, reference being had to the specification, 1n which Figure 1 is a side elevation of one of my improved battery elements; Fig. 2, a vertical cross-section through the same;

My improved battery element relates to that class of plates known as the elastic plates-that is, the/ expansion and contraction of the active material is provided for within the plate, the conductor being flexible and provided with means for causing said conductor to follow the expansion and con.- traction of the active material.

A represents the blocks of active material; B is the conductor consisting-of a strip of lead or other suitable conducting material, which passes around and is in contact with at least three sides of each block of active mate rial. The blocks A of active material may be molded independently and placed in between the conducting strip, or the active material may be pasted in the plate after the conductor has been formed into shape.

C is a frame surrounding the plate upon all four sides thereof. This frame may be made of any suitable material which is stiff enough D of any hard rubber, which rests upon the .top of the conducting or non-conducting material, the preferable material used is hard rubber. The

top of the blocks of the active material is level, and when the plate is first made, and before it is formed, the top of the blocks of active material do not extend to the top of to hold the plate in shape and may be either the frames C, there being considerable distance left between the active material and the frame.

It is a well-known fact that in a positive.

pole element, when the active material is ormedthat is, when the newly posted plate is first subjected to the electric current so as to form it into peroxid of lead, the active material expands tola considerable extent, and therefore if the frame 0 hugged the activematerial tightly when the plate was first made, then when. the active material expanded the frame would be broken, therefore while it is absolutely necessary that the con ducting strip shall be held in tight contact with the active material, still there must be suflicient room left between some part of the frame and the active material to allow said active material to expand in order to make a practical and elastic plate, and even after the plate is formed the charge and discharge of the plate contracts and expands the active accompanying drawing forming apart of this material to a certain extent, although not to as great a degree as on the forming charge, therefore an elastic means must be provided which will cause the conductor to follow the active material in its expansion and contraction, and at the same time prevent any strain put upon the containing frame of the plate. in order to accomplish this I provide a plate suitable stiff material, preferably of blocks of active material in between the top of the frame and said blocks. This plate I) is provided upon each side with the vertical flanges D extending upward therefrom, and a sufficient distance apart so as to pass upon each side of the top of the frame C, and are of such a length. that when the plate is newly made the top of the flanges D will be a slight distance above the top of the frame C, and the plate D will be a considerable distance from the underside of the top of the frame C.- The flanges D extend outward a slight distance at each end so. as to embrace the sides of the frame C and furnish an additional guide for the plate D in its vertical movement.

E are elastie bands ofrubber or other suitother, a flexible conducting strip in contart able material which surround the plate ver tieally, and therefore bear downward upon the upper edges of the flanges l), and so hold the plate D in tight contact with the upper edge of ti i blocks A. ward upon the locks will serve to hold the conductor B in tight contact with the aetive material, whether the active material is expanding or contracting, and it will be'seen that the blocks of active material can expand collectively in volume sullicient to take up the sp cc between the plate I) and the top of the frame C without exerting any undue pressure upon said frame, and when the plate contrarts under subsequent charges and expands under subsequent discharges the elastic means will cause the plate I) to follow tlte active material in its expansion and contiaction and keep the. conductors always in tight contact with the active material. Of course other elastic means could .he employed for forcing the plate 1) downthe conductor durin the ex )ansion of the h I i plate while undergoing the forming charge, the conduetun stri B after )assun around the block-s A passes upward above the plate 1) by passing in between one end of the: plate 1) and the side of the lramc and then extends diagonally across to the opposite side 7 of the block, when it. passes upward between the two up-turned ends of the frame, and thus forms the lug, the two up-turned ends (1 of the frame being preferablyriveted together \Vitll the conducting strip in between the same. This long strip B of the conductor B which extends above the plate I) is not materially affected by the rise and fall'of the plate I), and therefore no strain is exerted upon the conductor, such as would occur if the conductingstrip extended directly to the lug from the blocks A. Of course other means could be employed for relieving the conducting strip of the strain during the expansion of the plate, as for instance, by corrugating or forming loose bends in the conductor between the blocks and the lug, but I have found by practice that, the form shown is the most practical, and therefore is the form l generally use. Of course I do not, wish to be limited lo the exact construction here shown, as slight modifications could be made without departing from the spirit ofthe invention.

Having thus fully described my invention, what l claim as new and useful, is

t. in a battery element, a series of blorlts of active material arranged one above the This pressure downwith each of said blocks, said condurting st ip terminating in :1. lug extending from the upper end of the plate, a. supporting t's'ame surrouinling the blocks of active material and conductor, a plate resting upon the top of the blocks of active material and )rimarilv spaced a distance below the top oft 1e frame, means for guiding said plate upon the frame as it moves vertically during the expansion and contraction of 111* active material, and elastic means tending to hold the plate in close contact with the top of tl active material.

2. In a battery element, a flexible conduct,- ing strip bent so as to form spaces, active material disposed within said spaces, the top of the active material being horizontal, a. conta-ining frame surrounding the edges of the active material, a space being left between the top of the active material and the top of the frame, a plate resting upon the top of the active material, elastic means tending to force the plate downward upon the active material, means for guiding said plate upon the frame, the end of the conducting strip terminating in a lug, the conducting strip so arranged in between the aetive material and the lug as to relieve said condueting strip of any strain as the aetive material expands and eontractis.

3. in a battery element, a plurality of rectilinear blocks of active material arranged in tiers one above the other, a strip of conducting material passing in and out between the blocks so that each of the bloelts is in contaet with the conductor upon one or more of its sides, a containing frame surrounding the element, a space being left primarily between the active material and the top of the frame, the end of the conducting strip terminating in a lug at one corner of the frame, the ends of said frame extemling upward upon -ach side of the lug with the lug secured in between the same, a Hat plate resting upon the top of the active material, tlangcs secured to the plate upon each side and extending upward u you each side of the top of the. frame.

IIO

IIS

from each end of the movable. plate so as to embrace the sides of the frame. I

, t. in a battery element, a plurality of rectilinear blocks of active material arranged'in tiers oneabove the other, a. strip of conduct ing material passing in and out between the l)lt)( l\'t\ so that each of the blocks is in contact with the eonductor upon one or more of its sides, a containing frame snrroumling the element, a space being left primarily between the active material and the top of the frame, the end of the conducting strip termimtting in a lug atone corner of the frame, the ends of 'upon each side and extending upward upon" each side of the top of the frame and a sllght distance above the same, elastic bands SUI? rounding the element vertically so as to bear downward upon the upper edges of the flanges, said flanges extending outward from each end of the movable plate so as to embrace the sides of the frame, .the co ndu cting strip the movable late upon the opposite side from that of the 11g and then extend dia onally x across to the lug above the movable p ate, as and for the purpose specified.

1a testimony WhGXGOf I have hereunto afllxed my signature in the presence of two subscribing witnesses, e

e I OLIN F. HARVEY. Witnesses: h

S. L. FEDDER EDWARD GUNsTER. 

